Personal Hero
by CherryNinja
Summary: When Nemea is attacked by demons he is sure that he is going to die. But they didn't reckon with Nemea's personal hero. Nemea/Achilles


This is another one of those "There needs to be a story to go along with that quote" fics. This time it was Achilles' line in his last conversation with Nemea in WO3 that inspired me to write. This story takes place during Defense of Jieting, not that it's really important. I only chose this stage because it's one of the few that has Achilles fighting on your side.

I want to dedicate this story to my dear Sand Dun since I guess I am responsible for infecting him with the Achilles/Nemea virus. ^_^; It was our discussion about the pairing that made me finally finish this thing that had been lying half finished on my computer for several months.

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_Shit!_

That is the only word that comes to my mind at the moment as I watch the demons coming at me. Together with a small group of fighters from our resistance army I have come to Jieting to fight against Orochi's demon army and make sure that the gunpowder will safely arrive at the camp.

It is your normal battle: at first everything went well, we have been able to drive back the enemy and ensure the arrival of the gunpowder. But somewhere along the way I got separated from my comrades and have to fight on my own now. Not the best situation when you are attacked by two – I look in the direction of a loud scream – make that three generals of the demon army. I am literally fighting for my live and unfortunately it seems like the demons are slowly getting the upper hand.

I frantically try to block the hits that are coming from all sides, but it is getting increasingly difficult to parry all of them. Those bastards are quick. I hiss when I feel a pain in my right upper arm where one of the demons has just cut through the chain mail on the underside of my arm with his claws. It burns terribly but I don't think that the cut is too deep since I can still move my arm without problems.

"_If anyone dares to hurt you, I will kill them in the worst possible way."_

Even though I am fighting I can't help but smile. Some weeks ago Achilles has said that to me in one of our few conversations. At that time I haven't been able to make anything of a declaration like that, he isn't really the protective type, but somehow I felt honoured by it. And right now would probably be the best time for him to make good on that promise. Where is your personal hero when you need him?

I still manage to block hits from all directions but I feel that I begin to tire from the non-stop attack, the wound on my arm definitely not helping. Sure, I manage to get in the occasional hit, but it seems like demons don't feel any pain. If I don't get reinforcements soon it will look really bad for me.

I have to look twice when I suddenly see the tip of a sword protruding from the chest of one of my attackers. I blink as the guy gurgles a few more words, falls to the ground and dies. With the demon out of the way I now am able to see the man that belongs to the sword.

"Keep your grabby paws off him you pigs!"

Achilles! Rarely have I been so happy to see somebody. It seems like he will indeed keep his promise.

With Achilles on my side and one demon gone we now have a two on two fight and are able to make short work of the enemy. When the point of my spear has cut the throat of one of the two remaining demons I look over to where Achilles is currently taking care of the second one. I watch him drive his sword right through the chest of his opponent. I don't know if demons have their hearts in the same place as us humans, but it is enough to kill the thing.

Achilles is breathing hard and when he yanks his sword out of his enemy I hear him let out a wild battle cry. It always surprises me that a human is able of such a powerful and animalistic display and I guess this is one of the things that fascinate me about the man.

Suddenly his head whips around and he looks at me. I watch as he narrows his eyes and strides towards me.

"Show me your arm."

I blink. "My arm?" I look at the place where the demon's claws caught me. "It's just a scratch. It won't interfere with my fighting."

By now Achilles is standing directly in front of me. He has taken off his helmet and is glaring at me. "Your. Arm."

I sigh and lift my right arm, showing him the holes in my chain mail. He grabs it and turns it lightly, closely examining the wound that lies beneath my armour.

I am surprised at his behaviour, it is quite unusual for Achilles to care for anybody but himself. I have always known him as a loner and his sudden aggressive interest in my wellbeing is quite unusual. But if it makes him happy, I won't mind.

It is rare to see Achilles without his helmet so I use the opportunity to look at him. He has a really nice face and striking blue eyes, his hair is a bit darker than mine and the two little braids he always wears don't hurt his raw masculinity at all. My gaze wanders down his body. I realize how big the muscles of his arms are, a testament to years of handling a heavy sword. All in all he is just what one would expect from a hero of ancient Greece.

When Achilles is satisfied he releases my arm. "It's just a scratch."

I raise an eyebrow. "Well, I was telling you that about five minutes ago."

"Hmpf." He turns around and starts walking. "Stop talking and follow me, the others are this way."

I roll my eyes and walk up to him and together we start in the direction where our allies are supposed to be.

After several minutes of walking in silence I realize that the others are farther away than I thought. I guess I am really lucky that Achilles has come to me in time. But with such a distance it couldn't have been a coincidence, meaning he must have been looking for me. Did he notice that I went missing?

It wouldn't really surprise me because somehow I have the impression that Achilles' behaviour towards me is changing. It isn't anything big really, just small things like the fact that I catch him watching me from time to time or that we seem to run into each other more often than usual. And then there is his unusual interest in things like that minor wound I suffered from my fight with the demon. It is just so out of character for him to care for another person in that way. He is a great fighter and a valuable ally in our fights but I have never seen him look out for other people during a battle.

When I look to the side I find Achilles watching me once more. When he realizes that I caught him he turns his head to the front, staring off in the distance.

There just is something that makes Achilles change his normal behaviour when it comes to me. I have a theory what it might be, but before I can take any actions I have to make sure that I am right. I have to talk to him.

He must have noticed that I am still looking at him because he turns his head to me with a frown. "Is there a problem?"

I smile. "I just want to thank your for your help. All I have now is a small scratch but I doubt I would still be alive had you not come to help me."

"You are a mighty warrior and a valuably ally in our fight against Orochi." His tone is dismissive. "There is no reason why I shouldn't help you."

So he ran all across the battlefield on his own to come and help me just because I am a valuable ally? Somehow I don't really believe that. I smirk. "Anyway, I am definitely grateful that you kept your promise."

I can see that it takes him a few seconds to understand what I am talking about. When he remembers his eyes go wide for a moment but then his face hardens. "I was talking without thinking that day." He looks straight ahead again. "You should just forget what I said."

He is trying to make excuses. "Why do you say something like that? I simply wanted to thank you for being so considerate that you would come to my help when I needed you. You seem to like me enough to make a promise like that and then keep it when I am in danger."

He stops and turns to me. "Be quiet. This is not what you think."

I also stop and look at him challengingly. "Not what I think? Well, I think that you are avoiding the actual topic here." I take a step towards him, reducing the distance between us to barely a foot. "I think that you rush across the battlefield because you notice that I am missing and you fear that I might be in danger." I smile. "I think that you are starting to have feelings for me but are afraid to admit it."

Indignantly he closes the distance between us, bringing us chest to chest. "Shut up you bastard! This is-" But I don't let him finish the sentence as I grab him around his waist and at the back of his head, pulling him towards me to claim his lips in a possessive kiss. I feel him going rigid against me at first but it doesn't take long before he begins to respond, tentative at first but soon he returns the kiss with a passion that equals mine.

I might have taken a great risk with my actions but it seems like I was right.

Carefully I stick out my tongue and lick his lips, asking for entrance. But it seems like this is the wrong move because suddenly Achilles pushes me away, separating our lips as well as the rest of our bodies. I stumble back a few steps before I catch my balance and look at him. A multitude of emotions is visible on his face. There's shock because of the kiss and anger that is directed at himself for responding to it. There's shame mixed with hesitation and fear. But under all these negative emotions I can still see passion, a hunger for more.

When he still just keeps on looking at me, not saying a word, I smile. "Think about it Achilles." Then I turn around and resume walking towards our allies.

Achilles is a man of passion. Usually that passion is directed against his enemy on the battle field, making him a warrior that is able to evoke fear in his opponent's heart. But now he is starting to direct that passion somewhere else and it seems like he doesn't really know how to handle those feelings yet.

But that is alright.

Achilles will come to me when he is ready. Until then I will wait for him.


End file.
